The present invention generally relates to a tilt sensor. More specifically, the present invention relates to a tilt sensing apparatus, a system and a method for using same to provide an indication of tilt for a variety of vehicles.
Millions of vehicles are on the road today. Certain types of vehicles may also travel off the road. For example, SUVs, 4×4s, Jeeps® (a registered trademark of Chrysler Group LLC) and the like may travel on the road and off the road. Other types of vehicles, for example, sand rails, dune buggies and the like may be purpose-built to be used off the road for pleasure and/or entertainment. Moreover, military vehicles, industrial vehicles, farm vehicles and the like may be used primarily off the road on battlefields, in quarries, in mines, on farms, in fields, and in other locations that are not graded or paved for normal vehicle usage.
Further, many vehicles have powered implements for performing a variety of different tasks. Such vehicles have a power take-off (“PTO”). The PTO is any of several methods for taking power from a power source, such as a running engine, and transmitting the power to an application such as an attached implement or separate machine, for example. Typically, the PTO is a system using a splined output shaft on a tractor or truck, designed so that a PTO shaft, a kind of drive shaft, may be connected and disconnected, and a corresponding input shaft on the application end. The PTO allows implements to draw energy from the engine.
Vehicles with powered implements driven by a PTO may be, for example, lawnmowers, tractors, lawn tractors, soil tillers, snow throwers and the like. Many vehicles with powered implements are self-propelled, and an operator may ride on the vehicle. Vehicles with powered implements may tilt as they travel over sloped surfaces, such as hills and/or uneven terrain, for example. Such sloped surfaces are often encountered due to the nature of the work being performed and/or the area in which the work is performed. As a result, the vehicle with a powered implement may be required to travel over such sloped surfaces.
However, if a vehicle with a powered implement tilts too much, the vehicle may potentially tip over and/or slide down an incline. Vehicles with powered implements have been equipped with various tilt sensors to provide the driver with an indication that the vehicle is approaching a tilt limit and to disable the powered implement. Axial inclinometers and tip switches are examples of commonly used devices.
Tilt sensors may be used to provide input control signals for controlling, for example, machinery, devices and/or the like. Further, tilt sensors may be used in many different applications. For example, tilt sensors may be used on material handling vehicles, industrial machinery, flight simulators and the like.
A typical tilt sensor produces an output signal corresponding to the angular displacement of the vehicle about orthogonal “X”, “Y” and “Z” axes. The output signal from a tilt sensor may typically be an input to a host device, such as a computer, a microcontroller and/or the like which processes the signal. The X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis input signals may be used to control the vehicle, the powered implement and/or both. The tilt sensor may also provide an input command to a computer software program. In addition to providing X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis input signals to a computer or other device, some tilt sensors provide indicators to the operator of the vehicle of the amount of tilt in a certain axis.
Certain environmental conditions may affect the performance and/or operation of the tilt sensor. For example, extreme vibrations of the vehicle and/or the powered implement may interfere with the operation of the tilt sensor. For example, lawnmowers undergo such vibrations during mowing operations. The vibration of the engine coupled with the typically uneven terrain may cause such vibrations. The operation of the vehicle and/or the powered implement and/or user satisfaction and/or user safety may also be negatively impacted when the tilt sensor malfunctions and/or is inaccurate. Thus, many of the existing tilt sensors may be inadequate for controlling the operation of the vehicle and/or the powered implement and/or may cause numerous performance and/or safety problems when operating the vehicle and/or the powered implement.
Therefore, a need exists for a tilt sensing apparatus, a system and a method for using same to provide an indication of tilt for a vehicle.